State

Fiscal conservatives face one another in 62nd House District BY KURT MOFFETT REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Voters seeking a decisive difference between candidates in the 62nd House District race will not find their answer in the topic of state finances.

There is not much difference between Rep. William J. Simanski, R-Granby, and his Democratic challenger Evan S. Dantos, who both call themselves fiscally conservative.

The 62nd District includes New Hartford, Barkhamsted, Hartland and Granby.

Simanski, who was elected in 2010, said he decided to run because he wanted to "bring some common sense" to the legislature. He said while first selectman of his hometown, the town always had a balanced budget and he feels the state needs to do the same.

He said the people he meets on the campaign trail are upset about how high the taxes are in Connecticut. Despite $1.8 billion in increased taxes, the state still has a huge budget deficit and has had to borrow money to pay its operating expenses.

"I'm going to keep fighting to reduce our spending," he said. "The answer isn't additional revenue because we don't have a revenue problem. The answer is decreased spending."

Dantos, who also lives in Granby and is a recent University of Connecticut graduate, said his biggest concern is the state deficit, which is projected at roughly $120 million. He said this should be the legislature's top priority during the next session.

"Once we can get ourselves in the black it inspires confidence and people will want to start businesses and move businesses here," he said.

He said the state should not be investing in businesses until it has the money to do so, and even then, it should be in the form of loans, not grants. He also said he thinks Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's "First Five" and "Next Five" program, which has funneled millions of dollars in state aid to large corporations, is "misguided."

"Seventy-five percent of the jobs are with small businesses and he's focusing on these huge companies and it takes a lot for them to move and to bring them into the state is a big ordeal," he said. "We have to focus on small businesses."

Simanski said he also feels the state needs to focus on small businesses. He said Connecticut needs to become more business friendly.

"We have some of the highest electricity rates around," he said. "We have amongst the highest workers compensation benefits and we passed mandatory sick leave, making Connecticut the only state in the nation to have that. What message does that send to business? It's not a business-friendly environment and that has to change."

Dantos, who calls himself a "social Democrat," said he draws a comparison to the time he was attending UConn. He was living off campus, had a part-time job and at some point could not maintain a certain lifestyle and had to cut back.

"I didn't take out new loans or ask my parents for more money," he said. "I just made it work with what I had and that's the attitude the state has to have."

He said he favors "slimming" departments and placing moratoriums on projects, such as the $600 million New Britain-to-Hartford busway.

Simanski said he does not plan to propose any of his own bills because as long as the Democrats have the majority, it is nearly impossible for a Republican lawmaker to get a bill heard.

"What I do is join with our caucus because there is strength in numbers so even though we're the minority party, if we're speaking as one voice we'll be heard by the other side of the aisle," he said. "We did pass two bipartisan bills during the last session, one was the jobs bill, which got some input from Republicans and made it a better bill because it included some stuff for the small and mediums sized businesses.

"I'm hopeful that we can get some more bipartisan legislation to go through to make this a better business environment for the small to medium sized companies," he said.

Dantos said he is focusing on meeting undecided and unaffiliated voters. He said there are many voters who are disgusted by the politics and have lost faith in government. Many are also more focused on the federal races.

Simanski said he too is focused on the unaffiliated voters. He said while people are sick of the negative campaigns of other races, "when you get out there one on one that's when you get the positive feedback."

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